Legendary singer SP Balasubrahmanyam, who passed away on Friday at the age of 74, following Covid-19 related complications, has left behind a prolific and unparalleled legacy like no other.
Here is a list of 10 lesser known things about the hugely influential singer whose work spanned more than 50 years.
–SP Balasubrahmanyam wanted to become an engineer and find a government job.
–The music icon not trained in classical music, although he did show interest in learning instruments.
–Balasubrahmanyam was a Guinness record holder having sung around 40,000 numbers.
–He worked as a dubbing artist, turning into the on-screen voice of several mega superstars including Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth.
–SP’s collaboration with Ilaiyaraaja in the ’80s cemented his place as the number one male playback singer in South India.
–He appeared in several Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada films in full-fledged roles and special appearances.
–The singer dubbed for Oscar-winning actor Ben Kingsley in the Telugu-dubbed version of Gandhi.
–His first song in Hindi, Tere Mere Beech Mein, from K Balachander’s Ek Duje Ke Liye (1981), fetched him a National Film Award.
–SP briefly became the voice of Salman Khan in films such as Maine Pyaar Kiya and Love.
–He made his come back to Bollywood with Shah Rukh Khan’s 2013 movie Chennai Express, in which he sang the title track of the film.